Urban Relay: Circulation Morphology
[accelerator city]
ROTCH
Anthony C. Guma
Bachelor of Design in Architecture
University of Florida
Gainesville, 1998
OF TECHNOLOGY
APR 2 6 2001
L.,
LIBRARIES
Submitted to the Department of Architecture
in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of
Master of Architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
February 2001.
Signature of Author
Anthony C. Guma
Department of Architecture
January 19, 2001
Certified by
/
Ann Pendleton - Jullian
;ociate Professor of Architecture
Thesis Supervisor
Accepted by
Roy Strickland
Principal Research Scientist
Chair, Departmental Committee on Graduate Students
@2001 Anthony C. Guma. All Rights Reserved
The author hereby grants to MIT permission to reproduce and to distribute
publicly paper and electronic copies of this thesis document inwhole or in part.
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Thesis Committee
Thesis Supervisor
Ann Pendleton - Jullian
Associate Professor of Architecture
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Thesis Readers
William J. Mitchell
Dean, School of Architecture and Planning
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Ellen Dunham - Jones
Director, Architecture Program
College of Architecture
Georgia Institute of Technology
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Urban Relay: Circulation Morphology
[accelerator city]
Anthony C. Guma
ABSTRACT
Generally, in the contemporary cities vertical buildings are conceived
and implemented as subdivided volumes that set up highly regularized modes of inhabitation. This condition limits the possibility for
more complex and adaptive spatial relationships between program
and use. This limitation exists at a time when the relationship between individuals and their patterns of living is becoming increasingly
more complex. This thesis will explore the design of the mixed-use
building through a study of program, circulation, skin, and form. Sited
in Boston at a point of intersection between programs, people, and of
conflicting physical parameters, this project will develop a system to
(re)organize space within a given volume and the flows through it.
This system of programmatic organization will be mediated through
a responsive network of circulation and the articulation of surfaces
that frame the liminal spaces between uses.
Thesis Supervisor: Ann Pendleton - Jullian
Title: Associate Professor of Architecture
5
6
contents
0 Background
9
Site
19
Organizational Diagrams
27
Generative Studies
35
Initial Organization
41
Plan Development
49
Vertical (re)Development
57
Skin Development
73
Concluding Representations
85
Bibliography
98
Acknowledgments
101
7
sectional analysais drawing
Unite d'Habitation, Marsailles
Le Corbusier
8
vertical division
[over and under]
In many urban contexts, the sectional quality of a typical
vertical building reveals repetitive independently functioning floors with minimal connection beyond. Circulation
through this section consists of nodal points of connection
between one floor and another and also between one floor
and the ground. This current scenario does support a level
of flexibility by allowing for individual worlds to be held together within a framework. This creates a series of different programmatic uses all encapsulated within a skin. Although such buildings may be called "mixed-use", their inherent potential for adjacencies and interrelationships is
denied.
Along with this spatial and formal disjunction, the possibilities for social and public interaction also conforms to the
logic that is imposed by this typical programmatic organization. That of a limited number of interconnection points
between the different levels of movement based on a system of similar repetitive floor slabs. Within this, public interaction is reduced to the amount of time that is used to
enter and exit the superstructure as well as the time spent
within the space of an elevator. These two realities devise
a set of issues that can be translated into a design criteria
based on the redistribution of vertical (and horizontal) space
to accommodate a more active system of social interaction
that takes advantage of the heightened velocity of daily
activities.
9
site movement diagram
10
vertical past
[inside-out]
The questioning of the space that creates a vertical architecture has existed since their initial designs themselves.
These issues encompass discussions of structural innovations, environmental concerns, and in a large part, formal
and aesthetic qualifications. Within this, there is also a
history of considering the vertical building in relation to its
spatial arrangement from a view that is more see from the
"inside-out."
This shift occurred from in the time between 1960 and 1980
with built examples that consist mainly of vertical buildings
with an interior "atrium" of public space.1 This concept became the dominant means of adding another layer of public space to the previous standards for towers that are dominated by their outward formal expression. Resolutions of
these types can be seen in the large interior spaces within
the hotels of John Portman and other architects who followed.
1. Paul Golderger, 73
Skyscraper. (New Yark: Alfred
A. Krpf, Inc. 1981), 139.
2. Ran Kooaas, Daliricus Aew
York. (Nea York: The Monacelli
Press, 1994), 152.
Near this same time, the work of Rem Koolhaas in Delirious New York was a critical look at New York City. In this
book, Koolhaas investigates many aspects of New York and
in a several places he discusses the internalized relationships within vertical buildings. In his analysis of the Downtown Athletic Club, Koolhaas describes a "complete conquest - floor by floor - of the Skyscraper by social activity."2
He does this by explaining a world of thirty-eight repeating
11
initial programmatic folding
12
floors that exist through containing a wide array of independent and discrete activities that all function within a volume
and are all used to achieve a singular goal. This ultimate
goal of personal self-improvement for the inhabitants is
concluded through the interconnection of many sub-programs. Thus, it is the rigid three-dimensional grid of the
steel frame and the elevator that allow for any combinations and adjacencies of programs.
Although Portman proposed one type of solution, and
Koolhaas pointed out a problem that may not be a problem,
is was years earlier and through the work of Le Corbusier
that another type of approach was explored. In his project
for the Unit6 d'Habitation in Marsailles, Le Corbusier combines living units, recreation spaces, a hotel, a co-operative
store, and several other communal amenities within a contained rectangular mass. 3 Embedded within this arrangement are several modes of circulation including stairs, highspeed elevators, and "interior streets." Through this
assembige, Le Corbusier stiches together a web of spaces
for dwelling and living, with the lines of communication and
circulation between them. In this sense, the building begins to live up to the metaphor of a city.
3. Andrd Wogenscky, "ITscripticn of the Marsailles Block,"
in The Marsailles Block, Le
Corhusier, trans. Geoffrey
Sainsbury (Landan: 'The Harvill
Press, 1953), 52-58.
13
70-
70%
80.
60%
"t!' *nformal
Socializing
(Minutes
per Day)
5 0%
.50
30
40% 2
3
30
.*Informal
Socializing
(Daily
(Dity
Activity
Rate)
20%
10%
o4-1960
1970
0%
2000
Figure 1:
Informal Socializing as Measured in Time Diary Studies, 1965 - 1995
Reprinted from Robert D. Putnam, Bowling Alone: The Collapse
and Revival of American Community. (New York: Simon &
Schuster, 2000), 108.
14
vertical network
[social capital]
Through a redefined vertical organization that increases the
physical interaction within a mixed-use environment, the
social patterns of its inhabitants can also be transformed.
In this way the new organization can provide a system that
increases "social capital" through its circulation and programmatic adjacencies. Robert Putnam states that "social
capital refers to the connection among individuals - social
networks and the norms of reciprocity and trustworthiness
that arise from them.4 Putnam also concludes that surveys
in 1999 reveal that "America's civic life had weakened in
recent years.. .and that our society was focused more on
the individual than the community." 5 In response to this
decline, the spatial relationships between several different
types on inhabitants and their additional support programs,
communal crossings and gatherings can permissible. Thus,
an urban vertical building can promote an increase in the
social capital of its inhabitants through a re-organized distribution of spaces, programs and the connective tissue
between them. In doing this, a multiplicity of interior public
spaces will be created.
4. Robert D. Ritnan, Rowlir
Alane: '1he Collapse and
Revival of American Camnity. (New York: Sino &
Schuster, 2000), 19.
5.
Ibid., 25.
vertical movement
[accelerator city]
Part of this decline in the community as a function of public
or social interaction may be related to the increasing number is individuals who exist at a hurried pace. In his book
Faster, James Gleik explains many scenarios in which
people are becoming more and more obsessed with time
and speed. These descriptions range from the steps taken
to save time cooking to the studies conducted in order to
measure the differences and speeds of thinking.6 . In relation to elevators Gleick explains that "Once on board, our
antsiness only intensifies as we wait for the door to close.
How long? Door dwell, as the engineers call it, tends to be
set at two to four seconds. For some, that is a long time.
And not just Americans. 'If you travel in Asia at all, you will
notice that the DOOR CLOSE button is the one with the
paint worn off..."'
By mixing living spaces with amenities within a volume that
are connected by public spaces and a series of movement
possibilities, the sense of efficiency can be obtained and
promote interaction. The result is a fast environment, yet
one that still supports social connections and potentially
builds social capital.
6. James Glieck, Faster:
The Aceleratin of Just
About Eerythirr. (New York:
Vintage Books, 1999), 27.
17
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intersection
The site is related to the existing potential development of the air-rights over the
Massachusetts turnpike in Boston, MA. This site isat the intersection of the
Massachusetts Avenue with the turnpike. This site exists as a condition of
intense intersection for the flows of people, vehicles [public and private], and
other transportation and commutation systems. By sitting within this web of
movement and systems, the building's circulation can be infused with its context
and the internalized movement within it becomes an extension of the site's
existing connections and flows.
20
Figure 2:
Reprinted from Massachusetts
Geographical Information System
21
JI
L
iti
ill
22
-
i
-
-
site movement diagram
Its position at a node of intense movement and intersection inherently
gives to the building a porus and ephemeral quality. Itis passed through
by shoppers, tourists, inhabitants, and by the vehicles passing underneath.
23
3
, 2
,1
view out
view in
24
The characteristics of the surroundings in terms of views in to and
out of the site create the parameters that will govern vertical
placement of programmatic elements. These properties also
define a critical level within the project at the eighth floor mark.
This point represents zone of change where the contextual pieces
of the site are redefined with respect to a vertical building in this
specific space. After this level and absolute all subsequent levels
take on a similar relationship to the site and creates a flexible zone
for the absolute height of the building.
25
26
I
I-
~
organizational diagrams
27
y
w
living - use
relationships
programs and overlaps
28
1
3
3
3
-II
2
1
2
X J2
-n3
3-
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1:elevator.fast
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3:stair I ramp
vertical circulation type associations
program: live - use relationships
The programmatic elements of the building consist of a mixture of uses within two main
categories:
a. living
b. support
a.The living group contains four types of varying duration and temporality. No residency
is considered permanent due to the transient and ephemeral quality of the site and the
more rapid patterns of living and working. From this the four inhabitation groups are:
W - daily user - retail consumers
X - hotel user - tourists and business travelers
Y - temporary work / live-work - short term city inhabitants
Z - student living - supported by the multiple colleges and universities
that encompass the site
b.The support programs include spaces for shopping, services, eating, communal work,
conference rooms, and recreation.
vertical circulation type associations
The vertical circulation criteria was based on a system of assuming connections within
the program itself, between the programs, and between the program and the grounds. A
logic based on speed was associated with each type of connection.
29
1111
I
velocity (mph)
site [plan]
The vertical placement of program within the volume was based on hierarchical relationship with respect to duration. The most short term inhabitant closer to the bottom and the longer term closer to the top. The
horizontal placed was loosely determined through a plan based criteria
related to possible site extensions within the greater area.
30
site extentions
L11
/
|
31
x
inhabitation frequencies (over two year span)
32
network(ed) Ivirtual connections
networked(ed) connections
Within the physical relationships a networked system will connect the
inhabitants with their associated support mechanisms. This system
will gain both the efficiency of the virtual connection and also promote
the social investment associated with actually traveling somewhere
within the volume to pick-up or otherwise complete the said transaction. The virtual system itself will also be used to network the inhabitants both socially an professional to influence a building of ties and as
a means of sharing information. A social intranet with a living environment.
33
generative studies
35
perspectives
36
To begin deriving spatial and formal relationships and qualities a tool
was created to model the programmatic volumes in their given vertical
zones and then systematically removes space for public linking zones
and for circulation. These studies were then used in conjunction with the
other rules of program placement and connection in the design of the
initial massing organizational study.
37
perspectives
38
space parameters
Student
550 - 1150 sq.ft.
Temporary Work
550 - 700
Home / Office
500 - 1000
Hotel
250
sections
39
40
initial organization
41
initial massing design
An initial massing design was created from a reading of the diagrammatic principles and the subtracted avolumes of public space
derived from the generative studies based on the set number and
size of dwelling units.
42
43
sketch of program placement
and connections
44
45
diagrammatic section model
46
47
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Illustrations
Page
Figure
1
Robert D. Putnam, Bowling Alone: The Collapse and
Revival of American Community, 2000.
14
2
Massachusetts Geographical Information System
21
All other images produced by the author.
97
Bibliography
Berkel, Ben van, and Bos, Caroline. Move. Amsterdam: UN Studio
and Goose Press, 1999.
Castells, Manual. The Information Age: Economy, Society, and
Culture- Volume One: The Rise of the Network Society. Oxford:
Blackwell, 1996.
Denari, Neil. Gyroscopic Horizions. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 1999.
Dovey, Kim. Framing Places: Mediated power in built form. London:
Routledge, 1999.
Gibbs, Kenneth Turney. Business Architectural Imagery in America,
1870-1930. Ann Arbor: UMI Research Press, 1976.
Hartwig, Lutz, and Lampugani, Vittorio Magnago, ed. Vertical. Lift
Escalator Paternoster A Cultural History of Vertical Transport.
Berlin: Ernst and Sohn, 1994.
Jenkins, David. Unite d'Habitation, Marseilles Le Corbusier. London: Phaidon, 1993.
Golgberger, Paul. The Skyscraper. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
1981.
Gausa, Manuel. Housing: New Alternatives, New Systems. Boston:
Birkhauser, 1998.
Gausa, Manuel, ed. Spirals. Quaderns. Barcelona: Actar.
Glieck, James. Faster: The Acceleration of Just About Everything.
New York: Vintage Books, 1999.
Hadid, Zaha. Ubiquitous Urbanism: Total Architecture. New York:
Columbia Books on Architecture, 1994.
Holland, John H. Emergence: From Chaos to Order. Reading:
Addison - Wesley, 1998.
Koolhaas, Rem. Delirious New York. New York: The Monacelli
Press, 1994.
98
Maas, Winy, Rijs, Jacob van, with Koek, Richard, ed. FARMAX.
Rotterdam: 010, 1998.
Mitchell, William J. City of Bits: Space, Place, and the Infobahn.
Cambridge: The MIT Press, 1995.
Mitchell, William J. E-Topia: "Urban life, Jim - but not as we know
it." Cambridge: The MIT Press, 1999.
MVRDV, Metacity/Datatown. Rotterdam: 010 Publishers, 1999.
Putnam, Robert D. Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of
American Community. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2000.
Rowe, Colin. "Chicago Frame," in The Mathematics of the ideal Villa
and Other Essays. Cambridge: The MIT Press, 1976.
Stephens, Suzanne, and Pearson, Clifford. "Futures to Come."
Architectural Record 12 (1999): 85-126.
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Virilio, Paul. Lost Dimension. New York: Simiotext(e), 1991.
Virilio, Paul. Open Sky. Translated by Julie Rose. London: Verso,
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Wogenscky, Andre. "Description of the Marsailles Block," in The
Marsailles Block, Le Corbusier, trans. Geoffrey Sainsbury, 52-72.
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Zeidler, Eberhard H. Multi-Use Architecture in the Urban Context.
New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, 1985.
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Acknowledgments
I extend grateful thanks to all of the people who have helped me
and contributed to the success of this project.
To my parents and family for having always given me their unconditional support in any way that they could in all of my endeavors.
To all of my friends, both around me during this time and away,
for the listening and necessary distractions. To all those within
school for supplying their help during all those times when I needed
it most. Especially Robert Brown, Winnie Alamsjah, Michelle Auer,
Nancy Liao, and Stephen Duck. To Jennifer Mack whose help from
outside always kept me in touch.
To my advisor Ann, who always made sure that I was still believing in the project and for helping me to grow with it.
To my readers Ellen and Bill, for all the other angles and thoughts.
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